US 12,334,728 B2
Sensor and a sensor network for monitoring utility poles
Edward Sidney Boje, Cape Town (ZA); and Jason Andrew Hardy, Rondebosch (ZA)
Assigned to University of Cape Town, Cape Town (ZA)
Appl. No. 17/055,669
Filed by University of Cape Town, Cape Town (ZA)
PCT Filed Jun. 5, 2019, PCT No. PCT/IB2019/054666
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 16, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/234649, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 12, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 1809227 (GB), filed on Jun. 5, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0190848 A1, Jun. 24, 2021
Int. Cl. H02J 13/00 (2006.01); G01P 13/00 (2006.01); G01P 15/00 (2006.01); G01R 15/20 (2006.01); G01R 19/00 (2006.01); G01R 31/08 (2020.01)
CPC H02J 13/00022 (2020.01) [G01P 13/00 (2013.01); G01P 15/00 (2013.01); G01R 15/20 (2013.01); G01R 19/0092 (2013.01); G01R 31/085 (2013.01); H02J 13/00002 (2020.01); H02J 13/00006 (2020.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sensor for monitoring a utility pole, the sensor including:
a sensing module to detect a physical quantity from a utility pole or a conductor supported by a utility pole to which the sensor is attached in use;
a power supply in the sensor;
a memory in the sensor for storing data from the sensing module and other data related to the operation of the sensor;
a communications module in the sensor for transmitting and receiving sensor data to and from a second remote sensor attached to a second remote utility pole or a conductor supported by a second remote utility pole, wherein a second remote utility pole is located adjacent to or nearby a utility pole to which the sensor is attached; and
a processor in the sensor operably coupled to the sensing module, memory and communications module, the processor using the detected data together with received sensor data from the second remote sensor at a second remote utility pole to calculate if a utility pole to which the sensor is attached has changed its physical condition, and wherein if the processor calculates that a utility pole to which the sensor is attached has changed its physical condition, a message is transmitted via the communications module to a remote server.